Green Dress
by TrueBlueSpark
Summary: Orihime is amazed at the lovely gift Uryuu has bestowed upon her, and she does her best to thank him and keep him from berating himself. [complete]


**Green Dress  
A Bleach Fanfic by Shay Caron  
Bleach and all characters therein belong to Kubo Tite**

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"Oh, _Ishida-kun_..." Orihime held up the satiny green dress, as reverently as if it were the Shroud of Turin in her hands. "This... This is for _me_?" She'd thought the dress he made Rukia was nice, but _this_... This was beyond just nice, it was so _beautiful_...

Uryuu nodded, the faintest smile on his face. "Mm. You said you wished you had one, correct?"

"Well -- well, yes, but..." Orihime stammered. How long ago had it been, that she'd commented on a pretty dress in the magazine Michiru brought to class? And this dress was even lovelier! Uryuu must have spent so long working on it... It was incredible, it was more than she deserved, it was... "Are you sure it's okay? For me to..."

A chuckle. "If it weren't okay, I wouldn't have given it to you." Uryuu pushed up his glasses with one finger, turning away just slightly. "It was nothing, really. I needed a project to test my skill, anyway."

He always said that, Orihime reflected. 'It was nothing.' Like his efforts weren't really important. Well, _she_ thought they were. "I love it, Ishida-kun," she said, her voice full of warmth. "May I go try it on?"

"Of course," Uryuu replied, and Orihime promptly beamed and bounced off to the girls' bathroom to change.

It really was such a lovely dress, she thought. She could tell how much thought and effort he'd put into it. It was better crafted than Rukia's dress, and she wondered why that was. Didn't Uryuu have a crush on Rukia? He must have just had less time to work on that dress, then. The only other explanation was that, instead, Uryuu had a crush on -- and that was silly, there was no way that he would -- Rukia was much better suited to him.

So why was that thought suddenly making her heart throb in her chest?

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Uryuu glanced out the window of the club room, smiling faintly to himself. Orihime's reaction to the dress had been so heartening to watch. It had been worth every moment of planning and sewing, every growl of frustration when his work was less than flawless. He hoped it fit her well. Normally he was unshakably confident in his work, would never worry about such a thing, but this was a dress for _Orihime_. It had to be just right...

His thoughts were interrupted by a cheerful "Ishida-kun!" Orihime stepped into the doorway, resplendent in her new dress. "How do I look?" She twirled so the dress flared around her ankles, giggling happily.

"Ah... You look absolutely lovely, Inoue-san." His voice came out with more warmth than he'd intended, and he blushed slightly.

And then _Orihime_ blushed, and her smile became even more brilliant. Why was she reacting like that, he wondered, as she walked closer. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate this gift. Thank you so much, Ishida-kun."

Up close, Uryuu could see several misplaced stitches, mistakes his skill still hadn't been able to repair, and he turned around awkwardly to stare out the window. "As I said, it was nothing."

Suddenly Orihime's chest was pressed up against his back, and her hands slid over his shoulders to gently grasp his hands. "Ishida-kun..." she whispered into his ear. "You shouldn't put yourself down. With these two hands, you brought a beautiful thing into the world. And you made me... so happy, too."

Uryuu turned his head to meet Orihime's eyes, a blush rising on his cheeks again. He had never thought of it like that. The hands of a Quincy, the hands that held destruction, could create as well. And if she liked the dress so much, it couldn't be that bad. He shifted slightly, smiling and lacing his fingers through hers. "Thank you, Inoue-san," he whispered in return.

And they stayed that way for a long moment, watching the clouds outside.

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**Green Dress  
8/1/2006 -- Completed**

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**Author's Note**

Please see my fanfiction web page (the link is in my profile) for the author's notes, including a link to the image by autumnflame that inspired this story.


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